By Judi McLeod ——Bio and Archives--May 25, 2023
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially kicked off his candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination last night. He made the supposed-to-be-big-boom-announcement Wednesday evening on a “TWITTER SPACE” that featured social media platform owner Elon Musk.
Straight Hoopla all the way, as it turned out to be Much Ado About Nothing Much, due to embarrassing technical glitches.
Social Media’s self-appointed Oracle Elon Musk had said earlier that he was looking for “someone fairly normal” for the 2024 presidency.
Safe to say that he didn’t find it in Ron DeSantis, and may at the same time have shown that Twitter space doesn’t work as the best place to showcase a politician willing to toss away a successful governorship to take a run as social media’s would-be president.
‘Twitter Spaces crashes repeatedly during DeSantis 2024 announcement--Fox News, May 24, 2023.
"Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign announcement was mired by repeated technical glitches on Twitter on Wednesday evening in a black eye for the social media platform.
“The highly-anticipated announcement, set to be made via a conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Musk and tech entrepreneur David Sacks on Twitter's "Spaces" feature, was delayed as it appeared the platform was overwhelmed. Twitter's mobile app repeatedly crashed and users complained that they were unable to hear the broadcast.
“Nearly 700,000 users logged in to hear the announcement roughly 20 minutes after it was launched. The event was then abruptly shut down without explanation.
"The servers are straining somewhat," Musk was heard saying at one point.
Twitter users pummeled Musk over the botched rollout, and Democrats were quick to capitalize.
“President Biden tweeted out a fundraising page with the caption: "This link works.”
Thanks, power giddy Elon and Ron.
"Failure to launch," political commentator Kimberly Guilfoyle tweeted. "Trump 2024." (Fox News)
"This is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to a presidential candidate and it’s not close. Just hold a rally," David Marcus, another commentator, tweeted. (Fox News)
“And the MAGA War Room tweeted an image of the Twitter Spaces with the words "failing to launch…" emblazoned across the top.
"This is aurally amateurish and technically raw. It will be a meme, and RDS's opponents will make it into a metaphor," Noah Rothman, a conservative columnist, added. "But if the campaign is competent, more conventional table-setting events will render it a bad memory in short order. Given the foreseeable errors, though, big if.”
After an embarrassing social media debacle, it was left to a gone-Woke Fox News to pick up the slack.
Fox, in like flint to GOP’s RINO attempt to have DeSantis plagiarize Donald Trump’s success, quickly exchanged last night’s story to this one:
“Elon Musk took a victory lap on Twitter Wednesday evening, hours after he hosted a Twitter Spaces chat with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who used the public forum to announce he would be running for the presidency. (Fox Business, May 25, 2023)
“The live call officially launching DeSantis’ 2024 presidential campaign featured more than 700,000 people but ran into scaling issues and began to experience technical glitches, sparking widespread criticism. “Despite this, Musk suggested the call was a success.
After MSNBC’s Kyle Griffin drew attention to mainstream media outlets describing the call as a "fiasco," "awkward," and "horrendous," Musk said he called it "massive attention.”
“The Twitter owner added: "Top story on Earth today.”
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“During the Twitter Spaces chat with Musk, DeSantis highlighted his accomplishments as governor in the state of Florida, which he has offered as a blueprint for how he would govern as president. (Fox Business)
“The meeting also came in tandem with an official video released by his campaign.
"Our border is a disaster. Crime infests our cities. The federal government makes it harder for families to make ends meet. And the president flounders," DeSantis said in the video.
Talk about stating the obvious and grabbing the lowest hanging fruit.
“This "decline is a choice. Success is attainable. And freedom is worth fighting for. Righting the ship requires restoring sanity to our society, normalcy to our communities, and integrity to our institutions. Truth must be our foundation — and common sense can no longer be an uncommon virtue. In Florida, we proved it can be done," he added. (Fox Business)
Not according to keen observer Kari Lake, who said: If DeSantis ‘Can’t Beat Donald Duck,’ How Is He Going to Beat Donald Trump?
‘I think he should stay in Florida and continue fighting for the people there’.”
“In the video, DeSantis said his administration in Florida "chose facts over fear, education over indoctrination, law and order over rioting and disorder." (Fox Business)
"We held the line when freedom hung in the balance," he also said. "We showed that we can — and must — revitalize America. We need the courage to lead and the strength to win.”
“After the Twitter Spaces chat, the DeSantis campaign announced it raised more than $1 million within the first hour.
"$1 million raised online in one hour... and counting!" Bryan Griffin, the campaign press secretary, tweeted shortly after the event.
“Griffin also recognized the event had some minor issues with users not being able to join the chat space: "There was so much enthusiasm for Governor DeSantis' vision for our Great American Comeback that he literally busted up the internet. Washington is next.”
Uh huh.
“DeSantis was expected to announce a bid for the presidency for months as he has been polling in the top tier of Republican contenders, just behind former President Donald Trump.” (Fox News)
How about 34% behind?!
It should go without saying at this time, that Social Media should have no place, no platform in leading the race on who should be voted in as the 47th U.S. President.
Social Media, including Twitter, before and after Elon Musk’s control, is part of the problem and not the solution.
In this latest brouhaha, independent media outlet Conservative TreeHouse (The Last Refuge) offers the best advice for politic-fatigued Americans.
“Do not listen to the dark whispers on your shoulder. Foreboding sucks. Don’t let anyone steal your peace of mind. Live your best life while pushing back against the manipulations and schemes. We are the majority. We are MAGA. We are a broad and diverse coalition of solid working class people who are comfortable in our skin, comfortable in our faith, comfortable in our beliefs and unwavering against all pressure.
“Internally and externally be fearless against the lies. Don’t let lies and fraud pass without confrontation. Our strength is in the truth of our position. We have no pretenses and no reason to fear sunlight. Those who manipulate, scheme and use deception as a political strategy carry the weaknesses that stem from it.
“Ron DeSantis will not win the nomination if we continue to spotlight the truth. Just remember to stay right with a loving God, and live your best life while doing it. Also, forgive yourself if you get a little salty at times; it happens.
"Steadfast!
We got this…”
Meanwhile, Elon Musk, it won’t be social media—including your own—who get to decide the fate of the 2024 Presidency, but the patriotic, long-suffering citizens of the USA.
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